Arsene Wenger is pleased with the way Calum Chambers has progressed during his season-long stint with Boro, saying you can't underestimate the importance of a year of regular football in the top flight.

The Arsenal centre-half is ineligible to play against his parent club tonight and hasn't featured for Boro since mid-February after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.

And he's been sorely missed. The classy 22-year-old established a rock solid pairing with Ben Gibson in the first half of the season and his absence hasn't helped Boro's cause during a difficult period.

Wenger has kept a close eye on Chambers from afar this season and while the Frenchman doesn't give any hints as to what the future may hold for the ex-Southampton man, he's happy with the defender's development.

Middlesbrough's Calum Chambers (Image: Ian Cooper)

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"I think he is a player who is a good reader of the game and of course I believe where you improve at his age is in the quality of the challenges, in the dominance of the challenges, in taking responsibility when you have the ball to play and in making no stupid mistakes,” Wenger told Arsenal's club website.

"You reduce the defensive errors and that is a very important process in the development of a centre back. It’s irreplaceable to play one season in the Premier League.

"The target for him was to play in the Premier League a full season. He has done that extremely well because he was a regular player and achieved that.

"It’s of course very positive. Overall he has played most of the time as a centre back and that’s a big responsibility in the Premier League."